by Rachael Paradise-Depalma
The Patent Trader

The tranquil waters and majestic vistas of the Hudson River Valley have inspired generations of artists, and their art motivated a Katonah businesswoman to make their work easier to find.

“Three years ago I led a press tour of art in the Hudson Valley,” Nancy Gold, president of The Gold Standard, a marketing communications company. At that time, the idea struck her that “someone needs to pull this together” and distribute something that listed all the art of the Hudson Valley in one place.

This month, after two years of work, “Follow the Hudson Valley Art Trail” was published.

“It was a labor of love,” Gold said, adding that her busy practice and other obligations had to be dealt with in addition to work on the brochure.

Twenty sites from Yonkers to Albany are mapped out for art tourists. They include museums like the Katonah Museum of Art, the Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College and the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill. It also features the homes of some of the area’s most prominent artists.

“The homes of the artists, I think I love them best,” Gold said. Thomas Cole’s Cedar Grove in Catskill, Frederic Church’s Olana in Hudson and Jasper F. Cropsey’s Ever Rest in Hastings-on-Hudson are all included on the tour.

“There is a tradition of art in the valley,” Gold said.

Gold said she wanted to show different aspects of the art world that is in our back yard. The trail includes art from the 18th century to the present. It includes all major media from paintings to sculptures, classic to contemporary, by artists both American and international.

“There are things people don’t really know about,” she said. “There are lots of hidden treasures like that in the valley.”

Sara Pasti, executive director of the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, said people shouldn’t just stop at visiting the featured sights.

“Be brave and explore the communities these institutions are in,” she said. “There’s art in these communities.”

Pasti hopes those who pick up a brochure will “take advantage of the opportunities the map has given them and explore. The entire Hudson Valley is really blooming with art.”

Pasti said the brochure is “fantastic.”

“We were contacted by Nancy Gold,” Pasti said. “She was the guiding force behind this.”

Pasti said the brochure not only helps bring people to a site, it spreads the word about other sites in the area because it is distributed at all the institutions it includes.

“We’re all advertising each other,” Pasti said. She said smaller or newer institutions —Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art opened in 2004 — are listed alongside more recognizable names like Kykuit or the Hudson River Museum.

“It’s great to be in the company of other organizations who have been around for years,” Pasti said. “I think it’s terrific. We were thrilled to be involved.”

Pasti said the brochure, the art studios and museums are “just the beginning of what’s going on in the Hudson Valley.”

The Hudson arts center runs its exhibitions for 10-month stretches because it is only open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and by appointment. The exhibit, “Figure It Out” opened in May and includes contemporary figurative sculpture and videos of sculpture in virtual space. Also, in the center’s mezzanine there is an exhibit of young artists.

McKelden Smith, director of marketing for Historic Hudson Valley, said the brochure was a “terrific idea.” Two of Historic Hudson Valley’s sites are included — Kykuit and Union Church of Pocantico Hills.

“There are a lot of top-drawer destinations for people interested in art in the Hudson Valley,” he said.

He said the brochure will “help major sites create awareness” of the Hudson Valley’s art world, and the secondary sites will benefit from being alongside the better-known institutions.

“The average person doesn’t have any idea how much there is (in the area),” he said. “I’m hoping that people who are interested in art will take the time to browse it and circle places of interest to them and go about exploring.”

When she began this endeavor, Gold introduced the concept to 20 institutions in the Hudson Valley and asked them to be involved. She wanted something that would “really attract the art lover.”

Gold said she has experience working to bring tourism to the region and is “very interested in art.”

The Hudson Valley, she said, was named a National Heritage Area by Congress because of its national historic significance, which also involves art as a major theme.

During a meeting of the Westchester County Association, Gold introduced her idea to Paula Mandell, Tarrytown region president of M&T Bank, who, according to Gold, jumped on board. M&T Bank sponsored the creation of the brochure.

There is a Web site, www.hudsonvalleyarttrail.com, that features the information highlighted in the brochure and also has an updated calendar of events.

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